1. Field of the Invention.
The present invention relates to rear-mounted vehicle lighting systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to rear-mounted lighting systems adapted to be connected to vehicle trailer hitches. Still more particularly, the present invention is related to an illumination system for vehicles with snowplows. The present invention is a rear-mounted lighting system easily installed and removed with minimum impact on the vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art.
Snowplowing is a necessary task in those parts of the world where snow falls and remains on vehicle-accessed surfaces including, but not limited to roadways, open parking lots, and public and private driveways. Much snowplowing is performed by state and local agencies, but generally only for public roads and facilities. All private roadways, driveways, lots, and the like employ non-public means for snow removal. As a result, there are many commercial and private providers of snowplowing services. Chemical treatment, shoveling, and walk-behind snowblowers effect some cleaning of relatively small private surfaces. Vehicles, such as trucks and tractors, on which snowplows are permanently or removably deployed, ordinarily clean the remainder of private surfaces.
Those vehicles used to perform snowplowing services are typically required to have deployed thereon a warning light mechanism. The warning light is designed to advise observers near the vehicle of the existence of the vehicle as one involved in an activity different from a conventional vehicle moving along on a surface. The warning light or beacon is typically deployed at or near the highest area of the vehicle and is most effective at night and/or during stormy weather conditions. In most instances, the beacon light is a flashing or strobe light designed to draw the attention of nearby observers to the existence of the plow vehicle. Vehicles specifically designed for snowplowing, such as municipal snowplow trucks, are made with one or more beacons originally built into the vehicle structure.
For those vehicles not specifically designed solely for snowplow operation, such as a private four-wheel-drive truck for example, a beacon is not ordinarily built into the vehicle""s structure when in original production. Instead, if it is of interest to the vehicle operator to use such a vehicle for snowplowing, the user must adapt one or more beacons to the vehicle structure in order to provide the warning light. In many instances, this is achieved by placing a magnetized beacon on the vehicle""s uppermost metal surface, such as the roof of the cab, or by cutting a hole in that surface, inserting a beacon housing, and sealing the hole. Trailing electrical cable is then coupled from the beacon to a vehicle-based power supply. That cable may reside within the vehicle or it may be located externally.
There are limitations in regard to the existing means for connecting a warning light to a vehicle after vehicle production. The magnetically coupled beacons often do not have sufficient holding force to maintain the beacon in place. Although it is advantageous in that it does not mar significantly the vehicle""s surface where it is attached. Moreover, it may be removed from that surface when not in use. However, under the significant stresses a vehicle experiences when plowing, for example when sudden impact with difficult-to-move objects occurs, the magnetized beacon may be dislodged fairly easily.
In regard to the permanent attachment of the beacon in a hole of the vehicle, that too has its limitations. First, it is relatively expensive to modify the vehicle in that way for the sole purpose of inserting an exterior light used only under certain relatively limited circumstances. Second, the modification mars the vehicle""s surface and may result in leakage into the interior of the vehicle if the insertion is not carried out properly. Third, it is a permanent fixture that can only be removed with the type of difficulty and expense related to that of the original insertion. It does, however, address the limitation of possible dislodging that may be experienced with the magnetic beacon.
Although not a direct problem with either of the beacon affixing methods described above, there is an indirect limitation related to the placement of the beacon. Specifically, the beacon is typically applied to the top of the cab of a snowplow-capable truck. That may be helpful to the surrounding observers but less directly observed by the vehicle operator. It would be easier for the vehicle operator to have the beacon in a location easier to see and/or in a location that would signal to the operator the proximity of the vehicle to surrounding objects that should not be contacted. That characteristic is of particular value when operating the vehicle in the dark and/or in inclement weather when visibility is reduced. In that regard, it would be preferable to have a lighting system at the rear of the vehicle rather than at solely the top.
Several systems for providing some form of lighting arrangement at the rear of a vehicle have been described. U.S. Pat. No. 5,134,385 issued to Coleman describes a rear-attached signaling system that may be applied to a trailered vehicle. The system is not deployed directly on the vehicle. U.S. Pat. No. 4,809,138 issued to Stovall describes a taillight assembly for a boat trailer. That too is not deployed directly on the vehicle. Neither Coleman nor Stovall describes a lighting arrangement that adequately addresses the needs of the snowplow operator, particularly in regard to placement of the lighting.
Therefore, what is needed is a vehicle warning-light system suitable for easy applicable to and removal from a vehicle. What is also needed is a vehicle warning-light system that may be deployed on a vehicle in a position suitable for the vehicle operator to observe it when in used. Further, what is needed is a vehicle warning-light system that may be deployed on a vehicle without impact on the ordinary use of the vehicle. Such a system for use on a snowplowing vehicle is particularly desirable.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle warning-light system suitable for easy applicable to and removal from a vehicle. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle warning-light system that may be deployed on a vehicle in a position suitable for the vehicle operator to observe it when in used. Further, it is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle warning-light system that may be deployed on a vehicle without impact on the ordinary use of the vehicle. It is a particular object of the present invention to provide a warning-light system deployed on the rear of a vehicle for use during snowplowing operations.
These and other objects are achieved in the present invention, which is a rear-mounted vehicle warning-light system including a pivot mechanism. The system is affixed to the vehicle using a system insertion leg terminating in a conventional hitch insert that connects to the vehicle""s conventional rear trailer hitch. That hitch may be either a ball hitch or a tube hitch. The system includes a beacon deployment leg that is pivotably connected to, and extends upwardly from, the insertion leg. The deployment leg may be of any desired length but is preferably long enough to deploy the beacon to a height approximating the top surface of the vehicle to which it is connected. The deployment leg is pivotably coupled to the hitch insertion leg of the system. The pivot is configured so that the deployment leg may be pivoted away from the rear of the vehicle so that that region of the vehicle may be accessed. For example, if the vehicle is a truck, the beacon deployment leg may be pivoted away from the rear to allow access to and movement of the truck""s tailgate. A fixed deployment leg would block that access. The pivot may be a spring-loaded mechanism maintained upright when the spring is in tension. Alternatively, it may be a pin-in-port arrangement such that when the pin is positioned within the port the deployment leg is in a locked position, either up or down.
Additional useful and novel aspects of the warning-light system of the present invention include a set of secondary rear lights that may be mounted directly on the beacon deployment leg. Alternatively, two spaced backing light mount legs may be applied to the insertion leg of the system. The two light legs are preferably pivotable so that they swing out to a substantially horizontal orientation when the system is in use. The light mount legs are preferably designed to swing substantially just beyond the width of the vehicle and topped with corner markers to allow the user to observe that area of the vehicle more easily.
The beacon and/or the secondary lights may be powered through the conventional hitch electrical mechanism. When the beacon and lights are powered in that way, their wiring must be connected to the hitch electrical outlet. In addition, the vehicle must employ a switch to turn off operation of the beacon and/or lights when desired. Alternatively, the beacon and/or lights may be powered by other means, such as an electrical connection to a cigarette lighter of the vehicle or some other supply associated with the vehicle or even by remote means, such as a building outlet and an extension cord.
The lighting system may be used by small-scale snowplow operators as an alternative to applying a magnetically-mounted beacon, or as an alternative to a permanent mounting through the top of a truck cab. Further, having the beacon lighting system placed at the rear of the vehicle in an easily removable way ensures that the beacon is the first thing observed by those coming up on the vehicle from the rear. The noted additional lighting components aid the vehicle operator in observing the surrounding area behind the vehicle. The corner markers further assist the vehicle operator by establishing positioning of the vehicle with respect to objects behind the vehicle.
It can be seen that the warning light system of the present invention may also be deployed as a roadway warning system deployed at a distance from the vehicle to which it is electrically connected. For example, in an emergency event, such as a fire, the warning system may be removed from the rear of the vehicle and stood in position on a roadway as a warning to oncoming vehicles. The beacon and/or the rear-facing lights can then be powered and operated to signal oncoming traffic either to halt or to proceed with caution. In that way, emergency service providers, such as volunteer firemen, for example, may arrive at the scene of an event, deploy the warning system in the roadway, and leave the vehicle off the roadway for safety purposes. The warning system, when deployed in this way, may be powered directly from the vehicle in the manner described, or it may be powered by extension cord tied to a supply further from the vehicle.
These and other advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon review of the following description and the accompanying drawings.